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Article Excerpt
M2 PRESSWIRE-31 October 2007-United Nations: Part One of Two - Capital Punishment Not Prohibited Under International Law, Third Committee Told; Death Penalty Compromises Dignity of Mankind, Assembly Called Upon to Adopt Resolution for Moratorium(C)1994-2007 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
RDATE:30102007
The death penalty featured prominently today, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its discussion of human rights issues, with some delegations calling for its abolition, or at least a moratorium on its use, and others defending its application, saying that it did not violate international law and accusing some States of seeking to impose their views on others.
More than 30 delegations contributed to the discussion, which also touched upon the work of the Human Rights Council, national efforts to protect and promote human rights, the equal status of political and civil rights with economic, social and cultural rights, and next years sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Noting that members of the European Union intended to present a draft resolution opposing the death penalty, Singapores representative said that capital punishment was not prohibited under international law, yet the sponsors of that draft had decided that there was only one point of view on the matter. Every country had the sovereign right to determine its own criminal justice system, he said, adding that the real intention behind calls for a moratorium on capital punishment was the outright abolition of the practice.
Condemning the death penalty, the representative of Switzerland said it was an inhuman, degrading and irreversible form of punishment, and that his country advocated its universal abolition. It had never made a constructive contribution to societys efforts to fight crime, he observed, adding that 130 States had abolished or suspended the application of the death penalty, and that nine tenths of all executions took place in six countries.
Speaking in exercise of the right of reply, Chinas representative agreed that capital punishment was not a human rights issue, adding that executions in his country had reached a 10-year low.
The representative of Pakistan drew attention to the contradiction of those who opposed the death penalty who at the same time defended the right to abortion. Libyas representative stated that it was inconceivable to abolish the death penalty when it was the only way to achieve deterrence, while Egypts representative remarked that efforts to establish respect for human rights and democracy had been frustrated by the increasing attempts by some to impose their narrow viewpoints on others.
Referring to the death penalty a mode of punishment that compromised the dignity of mankind, the representative of New Zealand said it would be a milestone if the General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for a moratorium on its application. The representative of Norway also supported the call for a moratorium, as she expressed concern about executions in Iran and Afghanistan, while the observer for the Holy See reminded the Committee that, in some countries, blasphemy laws called for punishment that included the death penalty.
Some delegations expressed concern about recent events in Myanmar and others referred to the Occupied Palestinian Territory as many speakers steadily cited their own examples of human rights violations around the world throughout todays discussions. The representative of the Maldives said that global warming had clear human rights implications, while the representative of San Marino drew attention to the rights of the disabled.
Also making statements today were the representatives of Australia (also on behalf of Canada and New Zealand), Japan, China, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Ecuador, Viet Nam, Malaysia, Syria, Benin (also on behalf of the African Group), Ukraine, Colombia, Morocco, Thailand, El Salvador, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Nepal, Zimbabwe, Cameroon and the Republic of Korea.
Also making statements were the observers for the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the International Federation of Red...
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